Another Casting of the Cards
by tomla134
Summary: What happens when a temporally challenged soldier finds his way into equestria- but he's not the only one? my first OC story, and my first story on fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1: Brave New World

Like a hammer from god, or a strike from Thor, Thomas felt the impact of the bullet on his Kevlar and ceramic body armor. Letting out a pained grunt, he stumbles into the doorway, turning around to make sure his squad mates were following, as well as to pick off the sniper on a rooftop about two hundred and fifty yards out. The bullet flew true, strike the jihadi in the forehead and exiting the back of his head.

"Pink mist," he calmly muttered, finishing the turn and sprinting into the doorway.

o.O.o

The building was far from what one would've expected, given it was in the center of radical Muslim-held territory. As it would turn out, it was a research and development facility, not unlike one of those he had frequented before… coming here. Thomas turned into what was obviously a control room, breath catching as he saw beyond the glass partition.

It could only be described as hell. There were bodies everywhere- enough bodies to infuriate the American super soldier, yelling at his squad mates to come here. Bad tactics, he knew, to bunch them up, but he let his buck sergeant in the room. They all stood agape, for they had not endured what he had. He was different: a spook, a spy, a hacker. A lover, not a fighter, though he was fighting for what he loved. The rest of his team was, appearance-wise, a lot like him: under the age of eighteen, varying with ethnicities and skin colors, as well as different shades of hair and eye color. They were different though, in that none of them had the enhancements he did- ceramic bones, electronic mind, reflexes at nearly the speed of light. Not that he used them much- still have to look human.

They were still staring at the carnage when there was a squeak from a corner and a terrified man, in a headscarf and holding his hands up, looked at them. "Do you work here?," asked Thomas, not unkindly. "Y-Yes, I do w-w-work here," the man stuttered out. Thomas crouched behind the man, asking as he did so, "What happened here? Why are there so many bodies? And we aren't going to kill you, at least if you tell us what I'm asking." The Iraqi fellow visibly relaxed, having been told he would live to see another sandy sunrise. "I work the- the controls for this, um, device. It is a, ah, um, a, dimensional transporter. And those bodies are he people that we were trying to transport. I didn't force them to do anything, I just worked he controls!," he rapidly spilled out, clearly not willing to martyr himself. Thomas blinked in surprise, as did he rest of special ops team. "Who were you trying to transport to… another dimension, and why?," the scarred teen asked the engineer. The guy responded by saying," those are the bodies of prisoners, and in the walls of the containment facility are guards who volunteered after a few tests went right."

"Where were you transporting these people?" Thomas asked. "Paradise," simply spoke the man.

It was at his point that Thomas simply broke. Many might say that the human mind doesn't just "snap" but snap his mind did. He had seen too many deaths, too much misery, too much abuse, not enough love, and was aching for release. I don't fear death, because I'm already dead inside, he thought grimly to himself. He ordered the rest of his team outside the room, outside the building. He was going to blow this place up. However, he held the shoulder of the technician. "Send me there. Send me to paradise," he requested. The fellow backed up, a questioning look in his eyes. "Do it! NOW!," he bellowed at him. When he still didn't touch the control board, Thomas calmly said, in a tone that was somehow both calm and as awful as a pitch black run to the bathroom in the middle of the night, " I shouldn't scare you because I'm faster than you, or because I'm smarter than you. I should scare you because I'm better than you. Now, please, when I go into that testing facility, I want you to open that portal. I don't care if it kills me, and you shouldn't either. When I'm gone, you will gather all the data you can from here and get back to my team. Tell them that Thomas Sanders sent you. That'll convince them." He turned and strode out of the room, into the much larger testing facility.

He stepped into the center of the gore- and blood-covered room. It wasn't the worst he had ever seen, far from it, but it wasn't a place he'd want the honor of cleaning, seeing as much of it was dark brown already and probably soaked into the walls.

The broken young man looked up and saw the Iraqi's scared face staring down at him, then he disappeared as he sat down to work the control board. He felt a strange sensation, almost like tear gas, but not irritating. He looked around and saw a flashing coming from around him. It was the last thing he saw before a glowing blue portal opened on he wall in front of him. The surface of it was watery, but it was upright. He heard the technicians thickly accented voice telling him, "All you need do is step through the portal and you will be taken to… paradise." He nodded, and jumped in. There was an odd noise, like nails on a blackboard, and he passed what looked like a set of glowing blue circles.

o.O.o

He glanced around, wondering why he wasn't wearing anything. He looked sharply at his torso, then gasped: his skin, no, fur, was a dark blue, almost black. He shook his head, and felt a thick clump of fur around the back of his whacked himself on the forehead, and to his utter surprise, felt a horn of odd, organic material.

Ignoring the apparent horn for the moment, he looked around, noting as he did so that he lacked all the cybernetics of his previous body. A good thing, I think; they likely led me to try to kill myself. Just as he was getting to his feet, er, hooves, he felt a rather distinct pain in his, well, everywhere. "I think I fell from somewhere. Ouch," the now pony muttered.

"Hey Fluttershy, I think I found it," a uniquely feminine voice called out, just as a rather purple pony walked out, with darker purple…mane? … and tail. Like me, this one had a horn, and some sort of mark on its flank. I just stared in shock. It then smiled as a noise came from behind me.

Whirling around, I saw another pony had stepped out of the brush. This one was yellow-furred, with a light pink mane and another, but different mark on its flank, as well as what looked like wings folded along her flanks.

"Oh. Hello. How are you folks today? Haha, I'm sorry to, ah, drop in like this…" I said, glancing around at the depression I had made in the ground from dropping down from fifteen feet in the air into the moderately soft soil.

"Whoa, that's cool! You found a pony in the forest? And you were just looking for an explosion! Awesome," came from somewhere above me.

Ruling the two on the ground as not a threat, I craned my head up to see a blue Pegasus floating above me. It was at this point that I decided to take a nap, not wanting to wake up from this dream I had fallen into. Because this is a weird paradise.

o.O.o


	2. Chapter 2: A New Pony

"Hey. Pony. Wake up! We just found you and don't need you to die so would you kindly wake up now," spoke a brassy voice. I blinked awake, only to continue staring as the form of a blue pegasus stared at him. A certain lavender unicorn spoke up, saying, "Calm down, rainbow, he's awake, we can talk to him, then bring him back to Ponyville."

The new pony muttered unsteadily, " well then, twilight, lets get going to Ponyville. I ain't gonna answer too many questions sitting in the dirt, and I want to meet your friends. Plus I'm sure you want to hear my story." The group stared in shock, not realizing that the stunt I had pulled with the nap was just that- a stunt. I hadn't been asleep at all.

I jumped up and started trotting towards the one called rainbow dash, who was shifting towards shock from impatience. The purple one grinned at me, slowly trotting ahead as I promptly fell on my face. "Ouch," I grunted. This was gonna hurt.

o.O.o

We finally made our way into town, after introductions had been made: the purple one was Twilight Sparkle, the timid yellow pegasus was Fluttershy, and the loud flyer was Rainbow Dash.

The little group headed into town, meeting various ponies on the way. Twilight had said that they were going to the secure containment, which struck me as being odd- "Um, why are we headed to secure containment? Moreover, why does a place like this even have secure containment?" I asked, my natural paranoia setting in.

Twilight responded, looking sharply over at me, apparently at my suddenly worried tone, "well, it's for everypony's protection. Recently, other things have come here the same way you did. None of them were ponies, nor could any of it talk. So, we're taking you to Princess Celestia for answers, both for you and for her. And until then, I don't want you to be with us. It's not a trust thing, it's just so that everyone involved is safe. Plus, you're a unicorn and we don't know if you'll have magical discharges or not. Until we know if its safe for both us and you, you'll stay in containment."

Dejectedly I muttered, with a half-grin on my muzzle, "this isn't too far from what I expected. I come to paradise and I'm put in jail."

The timid yellow one spoke up at this, saying, "Oh, um, no, we'd never put a pony in jail if we first saw them. It's just, you're unexpected and we don't want anything bad to happen to any pony."

Twilight inquired further, "yes, Thomas, what were you expecting?"

I had opened my mouth to reply, when a pink ball of fur hit me. I collapsed onto my side, wondering how cotton candy could weigh this much. My question was answered however, when it began talking, at a rate I could never I could never hope to match. "Ooh, hey there, what's your name? I haven't seen you before, so that must mean you're new here! I'm pinkie pie, by the way, what's you're name?"

I finally managed to edge in, "I'm Thomas, but you can call me Tom or Sam if you want."

At this point, Twilight manage to head the hyperactive pink pony off by saying, " why don't you plan a welcoming party for… Sam?" The energetic mare ran off, singing something that sounded like a funeral dirge, only at high enough pitch and speed that it sounded totally nonsensical.

"Sorry about that, Thomas," muttered Rainbow. "She gets a little hyper."

Understatement of the day, I thought, as we reached what looked like a low brick shelter.


	3. Chapter 3: Not Jail

"Well this is nice," I said, as I looked around. "We will go to Canterlot tomorrow, so you can have a talk with Princess Celestia." I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything. I felt suddenly tired, even though it was only midday. "Do you mind if we talk for a moment, Twilight? I have a few questions."

The purple unicorn nodded, and I inquired cautiously, "Why am I in secure containment? Moreover, what's been coming out of the sky that scared you into this? I thought you ponies lived in paradise."

She recoiled slightly at my tone, then quietly said, "What I said earlier remains true, this isn't jail. And we only built this to study and contain what came earlier. And what makes you think this is paradise?"

I frowned slightly, not sure why they would build a lockdown facility for whatever it is the jihadis had been sending through. Please, oh please tell me they hadn't sent weapons through? "Was anypony hurt because of what was sent through? Please tell me that you are all safe," I rushed out, looking around the small room, which still contained Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy. "Oh, and to answer your question, I thought this was paradise because, well," at this point I swallowed, not really sure what to do. Lie, or be honest? Knowing them all too well, I understood the consequences of potentially lying. I continued by saying, "I was told that it was a portal to paradise. Thank you, Twilight, for answering my questions, now are there any I can answer for you?"

All the others in the room turned to her, and she answered by saying, "yes, if I can some more information about you and where you came from?"

I nodded, asking as I did so, "Where shall we start? If you want to start at the beginning, well, I will warn you, it's a little odd." The three present all acquired questioning looks at this point, clearly wondering what I had to say. "This is going to sound weird," I began, in my best story telling voice, "but this is my story.

When I was a human- a thing that walks on two legs, hairless, has fingers- I was a loner. Always was. Until the day I signed up for an experiment. It was supposed to convert people into soldiers, to make them better than soldiers. To make us the Hammer Of Gods. Also known as simply SPECIALS. I was a good soldier, but I never really wanted to be a soldier- I wasn't clever, I didn't know what I wanted, I let other people walk over me. I had no proper fierceness. But I did what I always wanted to do- protect from friends from those who would threaten them. From those who would bring harm to them. I suppose, once I joined the army, I finally found my purpose. After all, there's a saying in my culture, that goes something along the lines of: if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. I guess I can say I had finally found something I could stand for- my friends. Anyway, I was investigating a disturbance, and my team found what could effictively amount to a portal here. Unfortunately, I don't know the specifics of it. And there are more details that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna need to know. I'm sure you and your friends need to know, Twilight, but I'm afraid that they'll have to wait until we meet with your rulers. Anything else I can clear up?" They all shook their heads, and I inquired to Twilight, "where am I going to stay after I've been moved out of this secure containment? I'm not too keen on being homeless."

"Oh, you can stay with me; I keep an extra room just in case something like this happens." I nodded and smiled my thanks.

o.O.o

Twilight

"We'll thanks for cooperating with the questioning," Twilight said. He nodded again, still smiling.

"if you don't have anything else, I hope you don't mind if we leave for a few hours? If you need anything, just give a holler and one of the guards will come," she continued, in a business like tone. He nodded for a third time. "Well girls, lets get going. I personally need to inform Princess Celestia, and I think Rainbow has her weather duties-" "indeed I do!" "-and Fluttershy needs to take care of her animals." A timid nod, came from the kindred spirit.

As the little group floated towards the door, Rainbow Dash looked behind her and gave him an approving nod, "it's good to see such loyalty in ponies nowadays!"

Twilight herself turned too, saying as she did so, you're taking it remarkably well- I wouldn't have expected it of someone transported from your dimension."

He grinned and shook his head, saying as he did so, "oh, you're too kind. Personally I think I'm already gonna like it here."

o.O.o

Later…

"Spike, I don't know what's wrong, I'm just getting a sense that there's something we… aren't getting from him. Of course, he did say that there's something he's going to tell us in front of the princesses, but I don't know if that's it," worried Twilight as she paced in the library.

She stopped and sighed. "You sent-" her assistant, a smallish purple and green dragon, spoke up, "the letter? Yeah Twilight. You need to stop worrying." Just as he said that, someone knocked on the door. He quickly opened it up, revealing, to the horror of Twilight, a guard from the containment center.


	4. Chapter 4: Chell is Gone

The guard started talking as soon as the door opened, sounding rather worried, "Miss Sparkle, I have to report that the subject is gone. Thomas is missing."

o.O.o

Thomas

Good grief, if I keep doing this to myself, this isn't going to be a pleasant stay," I thought to myself, as the dreams started again. I had just fallen asleep. And was now dreaming of what I had been. And given the place I was from, they weren't particularly good ones. Only… this one seemed different somehow. And it was. I was standing before the town library? Why on earth would I be here? Regardless of my subconscious motives for torturing myself, I gave in and looked around. It was truly horrific. Buildings were burning fiercely, and the sky appeared like nothing so much as a lake of blood. There was ash everywhere, and I felt a strong urge to find the people responsible and kill them with my own bare hooves- who would do such a thing to so peaceful a nation? I looked at the library and entered, if only to get away from what was starting to look horrifying familiar to my eyes.

As soon as I entered the library, I stopped in surprise. I was standing right there. My other pony self was looking at me with concern etched on its -my- face.

I slowly questioned, "okay, what's this? Why am I talking to myself?"

He answered, saying calmly, "you've just time traveled. This is what might happen if you don't bond with the elements of harmony. It's also what happens if you don't develop your magic enough. You are a special pony. This world will need you. Now, they should be arriving in your lockdown cell soon. You should be there by then. Oh, and if you don't succeed? They die. Everyone. Even you. Even John dies in the end."

As he spoke this, I felt the air shift around me, and my vision suddenly shifted, accompanied by the feeling of falling off a cliff. Oh well, I guess that's just the price of time travel.

Twilight and crew rounded the corner just as I recovered from the falling sensation, crashing forward against the magically warded bars of the cell. They all jumped back, and Twilight immediately turned around to the guard.

We opened our mouths at the same time, but I beat her to the punch, asking, "how common is time travel for a pony to be good at?"

She shook her head, looking confused. "Not very often, that's for sure. As far as I know, that Doctor Whooves is the only- please don't tell me you've been flying around time. Please don't, I don't want an accident like the last time."

I nodded grimly, "it won't happen again though." I fell into my cot, not caring about the light tap I received to my head from the wall. "It was something awful. Everything was on fire and... Everpony was dead!" I started wailing hysterically. The bookish unicorn looked rather taken aback by this sudden display of emotion. "You were dead, and it said- it being a future version, a possible version of me- that that's what would happen if I didn't develop my magic fast enough. And more besides," I added darkly.

Apparently, I need to form a bond with the Elements of Harmony. I wasn't sure that they needed to know that yet.

She teleported inside the cell, looking sympathetic. "With any luck, we can train you up so that that doesn't happen."

I buried my face in my hooves, saying as I did so, "I don't want to kill again. I changed when I snapped. I'm not him. I'm not Thomas anymore. Please don't use that name. I'm not him. I was him. Now, I am Sam Phoenix." Having concluded my speech, I extended both hooves, in the universal gesture for 'wants hugs.' Twilight moved forward to embrace me, and I noted a small purple dragon that had been behind her?

Well, first that awful dream, and now dragons. Well, the day certainly was looking up: a girl was giving me a hug. That had happened so rarely in my past life it wasn't funny.

I held for a moment more, then let go. "Thanks Twilight. I'll try to keep the time jumping to a minimum, ok?"

She gently responded, "Thanks. Oh, and I don't believe you've met my friend and assistant Spike?" We waved to each other, and I said,"hey. I'm Sam. Nice to meet you Spike."

She teleported out of the cell, saying as she did so, "you should get some rest, we are seeing Princess Celestia in the morning."

I nodded, falling back to the bed.


	5. Chapter 5: Into Canterlot

The next day…

Sam and the othes sat in a train, headed to Canterlot, with my head in Rainbow Dash's lap as I told her about our airplanes. "…and they can even break the sound barrier," I informed her, privately wondering how a discussion with Rarity about my dark coat colour and reddish-blondeish-ginger had shifted to one about airplanes. I sank into a daydream as I finished the sentence. That reminded me: "actually, Rainbow, I'm not Thomas anymore. I left that name, that…person behind and I'd like to try a new start, a fresh leaf, another scroll, a second life, another casting of the cards."

Twilight only smiled in support, leaving me to continue, "I request that I be known as Billy Phoenix from now on. I want to try and be better than I was. Having finally met Applejack and Rarity, I realize that I wasn't mistaken- this really is paradise, and I hope to one day call you my friends."

Applejack stated in her distinctive drawl, "ya know we are already yer friends?" I started, not really sure what to make of this. Where he had come from, a friend was sometimes referred to as a 'space heater'. Not that that was gonna matter here. Nor would that term be in use by me.

I had a new found respect for friends, suddenly. Never again would they be referred to as space heaters.

I suddenly informed Twilight, "oh, and we don't have magic where I was from."

She sputtered, clearly confused, "what?! How did you do anything then?"

"We didn't," I replied, "at least, not well."

o.O.o

Later…

"Okay, but what are you doing here, Rainbow?" I asked as the aforementioned adventurer trotted sedately with the rest of us.

"Well, I need to check in on the Rainbow Factory. Normally I do have to check in once or twice a year, but now seems ideal too." I glanced at Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity, knowing they all had long-term contracts with various Canterlot vendors- Pinkie for pastries, AJ for apple products, and Rarity for dresses. Fluttershy was here because, well, I wasn't really sure why Fluttershy was here. And Twilight was here with me on my first trip to the ruling junta! On second thought, maybe I shouldn't use that phrase again when here. Or maybe it was my natural and deep seated paranoia rearing its head again, though I had no idea why it would want to bring up my paranoia.

Either way, I had to get something out. On that note, I glanced around, paying attention to roofs, windows and alleys, saying as I did so, "Twilight, you mind if I tell you something?"

Turning to me, she had a smile on her face as she answered, "not at all. What's up?"

I began, nervous at first, but getting stronger with every word, "there are two things I never liked, and I still don't, but not so much. Anyway, I never liked opulence and sleeping. I never liked opulence because it invariably hid something. And I don't like sleeping because I always had nightmares, and I don't need it either." Having finished this outburst, I lapsed into silence, deciding that I would be as quiet as possible for the next three hours. Unless someone asked me something. Then they'd hear me roar, all right.

I remembered something someone had told me - no, not me. I wasn't Thomas anymore- a long time ago: If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. I pondered this as we approached the magnificence of the castle and trotted past the guards, impressive-looking stallions in burnished gold armor. As we went, I noted dispassionately that the castle was a well-built, solidly designed fortress, no doubt magically strengthened and protected as well.

An indeterminate amount of time later, I awoke from my daydreams to see that we were standing before an imposing door. It was huge. Apparently this is the final door till the throne room. I was about as nervous as a debutante at her first cotillion, and not just because I was meeting with the ruler of an entire kingdom.

I looked over at Twilight, and she smiled at me, saying, "it's ok, you little shit. They're just going to sentence you, then execute you. Fine, right?" Her voice seemed to shift as she said it, not that I noticed, too busy processing her words to notice.

I instantly began to panic. "You really didn't just say what I thought you did, because you just said that…" as she took a step closer, I rapidly shifted into panic mode, shying away, then simply running forward. At this point, as I threw myself to what I realized was the immovable door, I simply flew through the air, catapulted by my own momentum. I half-closed my eyes as- I fell through the door. Twisting around, I caught a view of myself turning to Twilight as I fell, talking to her with a smile on my face.


End file.
